Ravi Shastri, Virender Sehwag contest for India coach job, interviews begin in Mumbai

Mumbai: The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of former Team India greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman, on Monday has kicked off the interview process to find Anil Kumble’s replacement as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in two phases, had invited applications for the India head coach role; first before the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and second after it, as Anil Kumble stepped down from the post following differences with skipper Virat Kohli.

A number of applications have been received – Afghanistan coach Lalchand Rajput, former Goa coach Dodda Ganesh, ex-Pakistan and Bangladesh coach and former West Indies director of cricket Richard Pybus, and former Ireland and West Indies coach Phil Simmons.

However, former Team India director Ravi Shastri, former India opener and Delhi Daredevils mentor Virender Sehwag, and former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody are the top contenders to land the job.

The interviews are set to be held at the Mumbai Cricket Association headquarters, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Monday, where both Ganguly and Laxman have arrived. Tendulkar, who is not in the country, will be joining the team via Skype from London, while acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary convenes these meetings.

Ravi Shastri is also reportedly in London, although it is not clear as to whether his interview will be conducted via Skype or not.

Interestingly, Shastri, who was pipped to the same job by Kumble a year back, had come under some criticism from Ganguly, last year, for failing to be present in front of the CAC in person.